Cabinet player



March 30 1926.

T. F. CHEEK CABINET PLAYER Filed Sepb. 20, 1923 Patented Mar. 3.0, 1926.

- UNITED STATES TOLBERT F. CHEEK, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO VELTE-MIG-NON CORPORATION,

Arai* aerien.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .A CORPORATION OF NEIN YORK.

CABINET PLAYER.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, TOLBERT F. (l1-11min, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cabinet Players, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of record controlled piano playing mechanisms (hereinafter called cabinet piano players) in which the player mechanism is mounted within a casing or cabinet formed separate from the piano and is placed immediately in front of the piano when in use thereon and is movable away from the piano when the latter is to be. played by hand. In this type oi mechanism, there are a series of lingers or levers which project rearwardly from the case or cabinet into engagement with the pianodieys, respectively, when the player mechanism is in operative relation with the piano, and it is a particular purpose oi the present invention to provide an improved correlation of parts whereby these iingers or levers (hereinafter called key-operatinglevers) may be expeditiously and conveniently withdrawn to within the confines ofk the cabinet, permitting the back of the latter to be closed and to be set up against a wall of the room, when the player is not in use, and wherein also the parts are sov arranged that the cabinet may present a most pleasing appearance, in no wise suggestive of the ordinary cabinet piano player. In a companion application executed by me, and tiled in the` United States Patent Otlice of even date herewith and designated Case A, the said application bearing Serial Number 663,829, I have set forth and described a form of invention in which, among other things, provision is made 'for the complete withdrawal of the key-operating-levers to within the contines oit the cabinet without enlarging the depth ot the cabinet to receive said levers. In the 'form shown in said companion application, as well as in the present embodiment of the invention, this is effected by mounting the key-operatinglevers upon a rail or carrier which has movement such that the key-operating-levers are movable bodily forward and rearward relatively to the casing. This generic feature is broadly claimed in my said companion application (Case A) and to that extent the Application led September 20, 1923. Serial No. 663,830.

present invention is subsidiary. In the par-v ticular embodiment set forth in my companion application the particular member of the structure to which the several key-operatinglevers is attached is pivoted so as to swing relatively to the casing in withdrawing said levers from their out-er (operative) position to their storage position within the confines of the casing, or in moving them from their said storage to their operative position: and the present embodiment of the invention differs therefrom in that the parts are so correlated that while the movement of the keyoperating-levers isa bodily one it is brought about by means ot a slidable carrier or rail, instead of by a pivoted carrier or rail. t

In the accompanying drawing` wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several viewsz- F ig. l is a side view, partly in'section of the forward part of a grand piano, and a like view of a cabinet player in operative relation therewith, with a part oil an end wall of the cabinet broken away to disclose certain parts ot the player mechanism therein, and with parts of said player mechanism and a part of the rear wall of the cabinet in section,

Fig. E2 is a rear elevation of the cabinet, with the key-operatiIig-levers in section: and i Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective ot the member which carries the several keyoperating-levers for striking the'keys.

A designates the case ot a cabinet player. This case may be oit any 'suitable construction, but as here shown it has a iiat top a bencath which, in the upper portion of the ase, a compartmenthaving a suitable hinged` closure for giving` access thereto is provid-ed for the tracker bar l0 and the feed and rewind rolls 1l, l2. From the tracker b ar IO several ducts, one of which is shown and marked 1?), extends to thepneumatic mechanism for operating the player. This pneumatic mechanism vpreferably includes a striker pneumatic unit 14 which supports and controls the several striker pneuinatics l5 and 16 which are shown as being in rows and in a. staggered relation, thel pneumat-ics I5 of one row respectively controlling the operations oi the levers Q5 which operate the white. keys of the piano while the pneumatics ltiof the other row respectively control the operations of the levers 26 which operate the black keys of the piano. The illustrated pneumatics are of bellows form and the movable board of each has an arm of Which those (marked l?) connected to the pneumatics l5 have their upper ends operatively engaged with the inner ends of the key levers 25 and those (marked 1S) connected to the pneumatics 1G have their upper ends operatively engaged with the inner ends et the key levers 26. rThese arms are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the movable board .or the striler-pnenmatics, respectively, and all of them extend through openings in a guiding member 2O suitably supported in proper position Within the cabi-net.

Suitably iixed to the inner surfaces ot the opposite end walls a ot the cabinet are guiding and supporting members marked 2l and 22,-respectively. 'lhese members extend toward the front of the cabinet from the rear tva-ll a2 and are provided with longitudinal openings 23 and 28. rl`hey are arrangedl in a compartment or the cabinet beloW the upper compartment and above the plane of the pneu-matics l5 and 16. 2li c esignates a member which is slidabl'y mounted in the cabinet with -its ends operatively related to the members 21 and 22, respectively, so as.

to be supported and guided thereby. This member 2e 'supports and carries the entire series of key-operating-levers 2:3 and 26, each of which is pivotal-ly connected therewith between its ends. To provide for said pivotal connection of the le-y-operating-levers with yth-e member 24, the latter is provided witl arms 27 to .vhichthe lr'ey-operating-levers 25 are pivoted and arms 28 to which. the lreyoperating-levers 26 are pivoted. All or these arms depend from the member and have their upper ends lixedly secured to 'sa-id member.

The length of the slots 23 and 23 is so related to the lengt-h` ot the key-operatinglevers 25 and 2G that When the supporting and carrying member 2d has been moved to its outer position 'the outer ends -ot the keyoperating-levers will protrude through an opening 34 in the rear Wall of the casing' and the inner ends of said levers will be in operative relation with the corresponding arms l? and i8, and when said member 2lihas been moved to its inner position the lreyoperating-levers 25 and 26 Will be Witbdrawn entirely lWithin the cabinet. These slots 23 and 23 have their forward and rear ends spaced from the ends et the members 2l and 22 -to provide stop Walls 8O their tor- Ward and rear ends to deliri-e the extent of in and out movements Ot' the members 2l and 22 and lrey-operating-levers.

As shown in Fig. 3, the member 2e has its opposite ends provided with projecting lingers 3l to enter the slots 23and 28 and one of the longitudinaledges of said member is provided with beads 32 and 33 arranged assembler in ali ;nin,g` the arms as Well as tendingl to hold the arms against accidental' vertical displacement While permittii'ig lateral adjustment oi? the arms with the hey-operating-levers to properly position said' levers` with relation to the arms 17- and 18. Any#- appropriate fastenii-ig meansmay be used if necessary to further secure the arms to' the member 24. rEhe opening 34 in the rear Wall t the cabinet gives access tothe member 2li and to the interior Aof the cabinetand I a door 35 is arranged to cover this opening when the key-operating-levers Ahave been moved to their storage position Within the contines o'i the cabinet.

lt will be noted that inasmuch as the keyoperating-levers can be moved as aunit-iin- Ward and outward With relation tothe cabinet by the mere operation of similarly moving a slidable memberl common thereto, the

operation or' adjusting the key-operating.

levers so that they Will be outV orY the Way when not in use is expedited.

lit will be obvious Athat While I have .described and illustrated what I regard asthe prefer-red form of my invention yetV changes in the details Vmay lbe made Without departing` from the spirit of the invention or the se ge of the appended claims.

lt is considered to .be unnecessary to. describe -or illustrateherein those parts 4of the player mechanism which produce the necessary air tensions Within the mechanism, -or. which operate or control Jdie operation [ofthe record and strilrer pneumatics under control of said air tensions, tor the reason that these parts Ito-rm no e rtial part or thepresent invention, as suitable ireans,..several oi which known in the art, maybe employed for these purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what..

l' believe to be new and desire to. secure .by Letters `limitent, is

l. A cabinet piano player coinprisiing'a casing` and a series of l'iey-operatirig-levers slidably mounted to move bodily inward or.

outward with relation to the casing.

2. ln a cabinet piano player, the combination 1with the easing thereof7 ot a series-oi ley-operating-levers and means which carries the key-operating-levers and is slidablyY mounted' to move the samebodily inf Ward or out-Ward with relation -to the casing.

3. n a cabinet `piano player, the lcombination with. the casing thereolQand a series of strike pneumatics, of a series of keyoperating-levers to be ope-rated by the strike pneumatics, respectively, and a carrying member common to the key-operating-levers and to which said levers are pivoted, mounted to move slidably in the casing to carry the key-operating-levers bodily inward or outward relatively to the casing and strike pneumatics.

4. A cabinet piano player', comprising a casing having an opening, strike pneumatics in the casing, a series of key-operating-levers to be operated by the strike pneumatics, respectively, and a common carrying member' for the key-operating-levers mounted to be slid in paths which are deiined as to direction and extent, the slidable movement of said member in one direction positioning the key-operating-levers into operative relation with the strike pneumatics and with their ends projecting through the opening in the easing to operate upon the piano keys1 and in another direction within the casing disconnecting the key-operating-levers from the strike pneumatics and arranging them entirely within the contines of the casing.

5. A cabinet piano player comprising a casing, members attached to the opposite end walls of the casing and each provided with a longitudinal slot which lterminates short of its opposite ends, to provide stops at the ends of the slot, a member having projections which engage and traverse said slots, and a series of key-operating-levers pivoted between their ends to the latter member and carried bodily thereby inward and outward relatively to the casing.

6. A cabinet piano player comprising a casing, strike pneumatics in said casing, slotted members in the casing ixedly connected to opposite walls thereof and having stops at the ends of their slots, a slidable member arranged Vabove the plane of the strike pneumatics and whose ends engage said slots and traverse the same, a series of key-operatiiig-levers arranged between the planes of the strike pneumatics and slotted members and pivotally connected to the slidable member se as to be movable pivotally relatively thereto and bodily therewith, and operating connections between the strike pneumatics and the key-operating-levers, respectively, to operate said key levers pivotally when the key-operating-levers are in their outer positions.

7. A cabinet piano player ycomprising a casing, rows of strike pneumatics, supporting and guiding members attached to opposite walls ont the casing above the plane of the strike pneumatics, a slidable member supported by said members and. having longitudinal ribs in diterent horizontal planes, rows of fixed arms depending from said slidable member and having recesses to receive said ribs, respectively, a series of key-operating-levers, pivoted between their ends to the arms or" one row, respectively, connections by which said levers are operated by the pneumatics or one row respectively, a second series of` key-operatinglevers, pivotcd between their ends to the arms of the other row, respectively, and connections by which the second series of keyoperating-levers are operated by the pneumatics ot' the other row, respectively.

8. A cabinet piano player, comprising a casing, strike pneumatics, having movable boards, arms pivotally connected to said movable boards to be operated thereby, guiding means for said arms, a slidable member above the strike pneumatics, and key-operating-levers pivotally 4connected between their ends to said slidable member and movable .bodily therewith inward or outward relatively to the case and strike pneumatics, said levers when in their outer position having their inner ends in operative relation with the arms of the strike pneumatics, respectively, to be operated thereby.

9. A cabinet piano player, comprising a casing, a tracker bar, striker pneumatics, suitable connections between the striker pneumatics and the tracker bar, supporting and guiding members above the plane of the striker pneumatics, Aa slidable member whose ends traverse the supporting and guiding members, a series of key-operatinglevers above the striker pneumatics and pivolally connected between their ends to the slidable member to be movable pivotally relatively thereto and bodily inward and outward therewith, and operating connections between the striker pneumatics and the key-operating-levers, respectively, to operate said key-operating-levers pivotally when the key levers are in their outer position.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

TOLBERT F. CHEEIS. 

